DoingHomework

I'm a relatively new AMEX gold card holder. I've had corporate cards before for a couple of jobs but have always used a UA visa signature card for personal use. This was mainly to concentrate mileage on UA since that airline is the most convenient for where I live (Tucson AZ). I used to be 1k with UA because I traveled a lot for work and we got a lot of free travel over the years from UA.

But a couple of years ago I took a new job and now rarely travel for work. We are also both very busy and can't get away too much for personal travel. When we do it is usually to Hawaii for a couple of weeks twice a year or to SF or LV for a weekend. We have a house in Hawaii so there are no hotel stays there. We take an international trip perhaps once every 2-3 years.

My main reason for switching cards recently was that we do not get to use the UA miles as much as we would like and I got concerned about losing them. I've currently got about 350k miles so I'm set for upgrades and such for a coupl eof years based on the travel we can get away for. I thought it was time to switch to a rewards program that is more flexible.

I'm trying to figure out if it would worthwhile to get amex platinum in a year or two. The annual fee is high and I am particularly annoyed that they would charge my wife another $175 to share the platinum account. We could probably use the international business class companion ticket every 2-3 years. I also pay for Hertz #1 gold ($60 a year). And, the lounge access would be nice...except that we usually fly United and they don't play that. When we do travel, to LV or SF for the weekend we usually stay at luxury places.

It seems like the platinum would not do much for us to be worthwhile now that they have cut back a lot in perks. I'd be comparing this to the amex gold and would still keep the visa signature which has concierge service, maybe not as good. And not living in LA or NY the entertainment and dining perks are not as useful, though Las Vegas is relatively convenient.

Spending is about $65k a year on card. This could go up a little but we already put most possible expenses on card. Household income is about $240k, credit is excellent. I'm assuming we would qualify for the platinum but perhaps I am mistaken.

I don't have to make this decision for a year or two. But does it sound like I would get much benefit out of the platinum? Personally I think $450 a year is just barely worth it but having to pay the extra for my wife to have a card swings it over to the ridiculous. Am I missing some benefits or usefulness? Any suggestions?